Designers of computer graphics applications continually strive to improve the realism of rendered scenes. For instance, computer game applications typically demand realism to increase the player's interest in the game, and hence, to enhance the marketability of the game. For example, game designers have been challenged to provide ever-increasing realism in such special effects as fire, explosions, smoke, fog, rain, lens flares, waves, etc. A first challenge is to devise a technique for simulating a special effect in the graphical realm. A second challenge is to implement this technique within the sometimes significant constraints of the hardware and processing limitations of a particular game-playing platform.
One special effect that can contribute to the realism of rendered scenes is a glow-type effect, where one or more objects in the scene are rendered in such a manner as to appear to glow. The glow of an actual physical object is a relatively complicated phenomenon, thus making the realistic simulation of this phenomenon a challenging task. Again, the challenge is exacerbated when this effect must be accomplished in a resource-efficient manner within the limitations of a specific game-playing platform.
Accordingly, there is an exemplary need in the art for an efficient technique for generating graphical effects, such as glow-type effects.